The Aztecs’ 23-6 implosion against BYU in the Poinsettia Bowl will leave a sour taste lingering for the immediate future. But in numerous other respects, the 2012 season left cause for plenty of optimism.

No one expected San Diego State to do as well as it did this year – in large part because the Aztecs lost Ryan Lindley, Ronnie Hillman, Miles Burris, Larry Parker and Jerome Long to the NFL.

But SDSU surprised everyone by rebounding after a couple of early-season defeats to put together one of the most successful seasons in school history.

Rocky Long became the Mountain West’s all-time career wins leader, the Aztecs won their first conference title since 1998 and made school history by becoming the first team to make three-consecutive bowl games.

“We had a great season,” Long said. “Our team was better than anybody gave us credit for at the beginning of the year, when we were 2-3 and everybody was giving up on us.

“We won seven games and got into a bowl game. That’s a positive season if you ask me.”

In their final season in the Mountain West, the Aztecs kept themselves in the spotlight from start to finish.

Long’s declaration at the beginning of the year that he would play-to-win by going for it on fourth down instead of punting past midfield generated buzz, and the buzz grew to fever pitch when he professed that he’d enlisted the help of an academic to generate a probability chart that would help him determine when to kick, punt, or go-for-it in a game situation.

Fans and pundits lambasted the coach after the Aztecs’ 21-12 loss to Washington in the season opener, when SDSU employed the go-for-it strategy and fell short at several junctures during the game.

But in the end, it was Long who had the last laugh.

As the season wore on, Long’s gambles on fourth down and two-point conversion began to pay off. The crowning moment came on a breezy night in Reno, Nev., when the Aztecs beat the Wolf Pack in overtime when Long made the bold call to go for a two-point conversion instead of kicking potential game-tying extra-point.

That win would become the springboard for the Aztecs’ success.

It bred self-belief and gave SDSU the momentum to keep the train moving forward.

Over the next few games, the Aztecs came up against a different test. On the road in Boise, Idaho, they penetrated the No. 19 Broncos’ stiff defenses to pull off one of the biggest upsets in school history.

Then, in the final road game of the year, the Aztecs’ defense proved its worth against the pass by shutting down Wyoming to give SDSU a share of the Mountain West title.

The loss to BYU in the Poinsettia Bowl stings, but in the grand scheme of things, this season was one the Aztecs can build on.

Two games to remember:

Aztecs 39, Nevada 38 OT (Oct. 20): This was QB Adam Dingwell’s coming out party. When Ryan Katz broke his ankle early in the game, no one had any idea how the Aztecs would fare with an inexperienced redshirt sophomore QB. Dingwell coolly led the Aztecs to a comeback win over the Wolf Pack. He completed 14-of-23 passes for 177 yards, three late touchdowns, and the game-winning two-point conversion to Adam Roberts. This was one of the Aztecs’ most complete games of the year. The defense kept the offense in it early on, and Chance Marden shrugged off an 0-3 start to nail three field goals, including the one that sent the game to overtime.